Cooking range



Oct. 10, 1961 J. E. HARRIS, JR., EIAL COOKING RANGE Filed Dec. 15, 1959 IN VENTORS F73. .5. BY

[141/2 WMW United States Patent Ofifice Patented Oct. 10, 1961 3,004,132 COOKING RANGE Joseph Earl Harris, Jr., Huntington Valley, and Albert E.

Cullen, Warminster, Pa., assignors to Philco Corporation, Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Dec. 15, 1959, Ser. No. 859,665

2 Claims. (Cl. 219-37) This invention relates to improvements in cooking range construction and while of broader applicability, the invention will be described in relation to a household electric range.

This invention has for its primary objective the pro vision of a unique combination of range structure affording improved operation, serviceability, and maintenance.

Another object-of the invention is to provide a unique cooperation of features insuring minimal contamination by spillage, in ranges employing open-type surface heating elements or burners.

It is a further and more particularized object of this invention to provide an improved range construction preventing spillage contamination of range wiring and it is a feature of the invention that spillage is restricted. to easily accessible localized areas formed in an upper metal sheet of the range body and serving for the direct receipt of drippage from each of the cooking surface areas. No drip catching pans or vessels, requiring removal and cleaning, are used or required.

A still further object of the invention is to provide spillage control means which are simple, inexpensive and easily installed and maintained.

In achievement of the foregoing general objectives we employ, in the preferred embodiment, a uniquely constructed, unitary bafile mounted to the range frame in a position immediately underlying open-type surface heating elements fixedly mounted to a pivotable top panel. The cooperation between the hinged top panel, when in closed position, and this baffle is such that spilleg: from any surface element is directly received by and confined to depressed areas formed inthe baffle surface. This prevents incrustation of critical range elements and internal surfaces which are difficult to reach and avoids the need for individual drip pans under each surface element accessible only by pivotation of the individual surface heating element. By resort to the present invention the excessive flexure of surface element wiring resulting from removal of individual drip pans is obviated. Moreover the configuration of the drip bafile depressions is such as to provide improved cooking efiicicncy,the overall arrangement of structure facilitating both maintenames and serviceability of the range.

The foregoing objectives, advantages and features of the invention will be fully understood from a consideration of the following detailed description and drawing in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of an electric cooking range embodying the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is an. enlarged, fragmentary, perspective showing of a top portion of the range, with the top cover in open position and disclosing the unique constructional arrangement comprising the invention;

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view taken along the cutting plane 3-3 as seen in FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 4 is a cut-away view of a portion of the top panel showing details of the wiring cover construction.

Referring to FIGURE 1 of the drawing there is shown an electric cooking range 10 comprising a body or frame 11 and a top, pivotable cover member 12 bounding an oven provided with a door 13 and including a top cooking surface 14 provided wtih a splash guard 15. The

cooking surface 14 is provided with open-type surface surface elements and oven are carried by and arrayed to the rear of the top panel and have their associated Wiring housed within a duct or enclosure 20 mounted to the panels undersurface. All wiring, withthe exception of the metal sheathed extensions 21 of the heating element coils leading into the enclosure 20, is thus isolated from drippage contamination, This arrangement further permits easy access to the wiring in the event ofits malfunctioning since the control circuitry may be easily reached by merely raising the top cover 12 and removing the wiring cover 20. Specifically this may be accomplished by simply taking out screws 21 which secure the front of the cover to the inturned lip 22 of the topcover frame 23. One cover construction is shown in FIGURE 4, the cover being provided with slots 24 and resilient fingers 25 to permit the housing to be slipped onto the inturned back edge 26 of the cover to eliminate the need for separate fastening means except in the easily reached front area of the range.

In particular accordance with the present invention the top cover plate 12 is pivotally secured to the range frame as for example by hinges 27. The top is held in its raised position by means of rods 28 which are pivotal- 1y journalled at one end to the top cover frame, the oppositeends of the rods being flattened as at 29, for retention within the slot of a key-hole shaped aperture 30 provided in the top inturned edge 31 of each of the range'side walls. On closure of the top cover these rods are received within wall cavities 32.

Raising the top 1.2 to its extended position shown in FIGURE 2 provides access to the combined oven closure sheet and drip bafile 33. This baffle is preferably a unitary sheet metal member formed with a plurality of dished surface concavities 34. Aluminized steel of 22 gauge thickness was one material found satisfactory for construction of the drip bafile. The series of depressions 34 are positioned to immediately underlie the various surface elements 16 when the top 12 is closed and to afford an individual well for receiving spillage directly from each of the surface element spillage areas Without the need for separately removable, individually formed drip pans.

To provide a well of substantial storage capacity and to minimize spatten'ng, embossed ridges or dams'35 are formed to rim each of the well depressions. These dams are further provided with an exit canal 36 through which excess spillage is diverted to a centrally located depression or reservoir 37. These canals maintain the reservoir in fluid flow communication with each of the well areas in the event of overflow conditions. By this construction overflow is quickly and effectively channeled to a readily accessible and easily serviced area of the range. Surface element wiring is prevented from contamination by spattering by confinement Within the enclosing cover 20.

The cover 20 is desirably provided with transversely extending wing sections 39 to permit wiring to be run along the back edge of the range protected from possible incrustation. By this refinement, opening and closing of the top panel which produces short-span fiexure of Wiring run directly over the back edge of the oven may be converted to a torsional or twisting action which can be absorbed by a substantially greater length of wire to substantially reduce stress fatigue or work hardening of the copper wiring. This configuration also provides directional baffling for heat emanating from upper surface regions of the oven and for heat being vented from the oven through aperture 40, deflecting it out through the surface element apertures 18 and preventing hot spots from developing as a result of blockage in air circulation.

To improve cooking efiiciency and to maximize storage capacity the wells are desirably, but not necessarily, given a generally spherical surface configuration as, best seen in profile in FIGURE 3. The Wells surface configuration 34- is such that it serves to reflect heat emanating from the surface heating elements 16 upwardly into the surface cooking area so that this otherwise lost radiation can be usefully employed. To prevent conduction of heat from the surface elements to the drip baffle a thermal gap is provided, which gap, in order to optimize drippage control, is kept as narrow as thermal restrictions permit. To provide maximum confinement of spillage the peripheral rim 41 of the surface-element housing aperture is positioned within the area lined by the crest 42 of ridge 35. To confine spillage entirely to the drip bafile surface the baiile is fenced on each side by side rails 43.

In summary, there is provided range structure having novel cooperative features which increase surface cooking etficiency, simplify both range servicing and maintenance, and minimize spillage contamination.

While the invention has been described with reference to a specific embodiment, modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. It will be understood, therefore, that such changes and modifications are contemplated as come within the scope of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. An electric cooking range having an apertured panel pivotally secured to the range body for movement into and out of engagement therewith and mounting a plurality of electrical, open-type surface heating elements, controls, and associated control circuitry; a unitary baffle in spaced, underlying relation to said surface heating elements having surface concavities formed therein the perimeters of which are rimmed to provide individual drippage wells for each of said surface heating areas, and including an enlarged depression in fluid communication with each of said wells to provide a reserve reservoir for the receipt of excess spillage from any or all of said wells; and a wiring enclosure removably secured to said panel for isolating said circuitry from spillage coutamination.

2. An electric cooking range having a panel hingedly secured to the range body and carrying a plurality of surface heating elements, controls, and associated circuitry; a unitary drip-bafiie mounted to said range in a position immediately underlying said elements and having surface concavities formed therein peripherally rimmed by an embossed area struck from said baffle disposed beneath and in spaced relation to each of said surf-ace-heating-element areas for catching drippage therefrom, said concavities having a generally spherical surface configuration to reflect radiant energy from said heating elements up into the plane of the cooking sur face to improve cooking efiiciency, and said baffle further having formed therein a depression communicating with each of said concavities to provide a reserve reservoir for the receipt of excess spillage; and a unitary, readily removable protective housing carried by said panel isolating substantially all of said control circuitry from spillage incrustation.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

